Captivating Images From Above Offer New Perspectives on Familiar Wildlife

Sure, when a photographer is tasked with taking pictures of some amazing, never-before-seen creature, or an up-until-now undiscovered ancient ruin, even a blah photo can be breathtaking. But what's a camera pro to do when trying to capture images of things that's been photographed thousands, if not millions, of times before? Take to the skies, of course! Photographers have always been able to use helicopters and airplanes in combination with serious zoom lenses, but drones are upping the ante on what's accessible. These intriguing, sometimes abstract wildlife images offer a glimpse of what's possible.

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An elephant herd crosses the sand in the Damaraland district in Namibia.

Gallo Images-Michael Poliza/Getty Images

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A herd of horses crosses the Orkhon River in Mongolia's vrkhangai province.

Tuul and Bruno Morandi/Getty Images

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Cows cluster in a German pasture.

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A flock of pink flamingos in flies Mauritania's Banc d'Arguin National Park.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Getty Images

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Botswana's Okavango Delta is home to a number of elephant herds; estimates put the country's elephant population among the largest in Africa, though migration across borders makes exact population counts difficult to estimate.

Gallo Images-Michael Poliza/Getty Images

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Overhead photography can provide a new perspective even a for the common housecat.

Daniel Vinegarcia/Getty Images

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An overhead photograph captures the migration of blue wildebeest in Kenya's Masai Marana National Reserve.

Martin Harvey/Getty Images

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Horses in a meadow are indistinguishable from overhead, unless the sun's just right and the shadows give them away.

Bernhard Lang/Getty Images

Now That's Interesting

The first issue of National Geographic to contain wildlife photographs was published in July 1906, featuring 74 photos taken by U.S. Representative and early conservationist George Shiras.